Automated Luthier part 2

In the last post we compared hand-made guitars by professional luthiers with factory made guitars. We toured the Taylor factory and watched the process with a little more detail. I have been very impressed with Taylor guitars and the quality of the guitars they produce is pretty high. Even the lower priced Taylor instruments are very nice. The automation process enables Taylor to produce more guitars than it otherwise could if they did everything by hand.. I also think the role that the machines play actually improve the quality. All of these machines are controlled by computers and they can get exact specs from these machines. This process is blended with handmade craftsmanship that takes a while to master. So lets continue our tour of this factory. Let’s look at the next part of the process. Applying the finish.

The technology that goes into making one of these instruments is incredible. The precision of the computer guided machines and the new modern finishes all combine to make a guitar much better then those previously built in factories. The combination of craftsmanship and computerized machine work well together. With all of the technology that goes into these modern guitars it seems as though the instrument itself is being re-invented and re-imagined.

I think the most amazing part of the process is how Taylor attached the neck. I remember a time when bolt on necks were unheard of on acoustic guitars. Back in the day electric guitars that had bolt on necks were always considered inferior to the electric guitars that had a glued on neck. But the times they are a changing. You can get a very nice electric guitar today that has a bolt on neck. Now Taylor bolts the necks on to their acoustic instruments too. Without the new automation technology this would have been hard if not impossible to pull off. At least that is my opinion. The bolt on necks actually improve the quality of the instrument. It allows Taylor to get the perfect angle for every guitar. Let’s explore this further. Let’s watch how Taylor attaches the neck to the body.

Taylor breaks away from the Piezo Pickup system and designs something totally new using a magnetic pickup. After looking at all the great features on a Taylor guitar, and after walking through the factory via video I can only come to one inescapable conclusion. I WANT ONE! Now the only question is what model should I buy?